Terracotta Horse

Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried with everything he needed for the afterlife, including an army complete with life-size clay horses.

4 of 10

Stone General

Credit: Clara Moskowitz/LiveScience

This terracotta warrior is thought to represent a general who would have commanded the footsoldiers.

5 of 10

Thousands of Warriors

Credit: Clara Moskowitz/LiveScience

About 2,000 terracotta soldiers have been excavated from Qin Shi Huang's tomb so far, but archaeologists say there could be a total of around 8,000.

6 of 10

Bureaucrat for the Afterlife

Credit: Clara Moskowitz/LiveScience

The first Qin emperor needed not just soldiers, but bureaucrats like this one, to run his kingdom in the afterlife.

7 of 10

Stone Horse

Credit: Clara Moskowitz/SPACE.com

Even the horses in the massive terracotta army were each unique; no two were alike.

8 of 10

Terracotta Soldier's Armor

Credit: Clara Moskowitz/LiveScience

Even though they number in the thousands, each terracotta soldier has painstakingly detailed armor, facial features, hair and clothing.

9 of 10

Wildlife for the Afterlife

Credit: Clara Moskowitz/LiveScience

The ancient emperor's afterlife wouldn't be complete without a menagerie of animals to populate his pleasure grounds.

10 of 10

Shocking Find

Credit: Clara Moskowitz/LiveScience

These clay statues stood undisturbed for more than two millennia before being discovered by Chinese farmers in 1974.

Science Newsletter: Subscribe

Follow Us

More from LiveScience

Author Bio

Clara Moskowitz

Clara has a bachelor's degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has written for both Space.com and Live Science.